Machine



(No Model.) 1 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. s. LARSEN.

CORK CUTTING MACHINE.

No. 396,882. Patented'Jan. 29, 1889.

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' (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2. H. S. LARSEN.

CORK CUTTING MACHINE.

No. 396,882,. Patented Jan. 29, 1889.

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H. S. L'ARSEN.

CORK CUTTING MAUHINE.

Patented Jan. 29, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcn.

IIAKON SIGVART LARSEN, OF CHRISTIANIA, NORYVAY.

CORK-CUTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,882, dated January29, 1889.

Application filed June 21, 1888. Serial No. 277,785. (No model.)Patented in Norway August 27, 1887.

To all whom it'may concern:

Be it known that I, HAKON SIGVART LAR- SEN, a subject of the King ofNorway, and a resident of Christiania, in the Kingdom of Norway, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cork-Cutting Machines,(for which I have received Letters Patent in Norway, dated August 27,1887;) and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, andexact description of the same.

My invention consists in a cork cutting and finishing machine soconstructed that the necessary hand-work consists only in placing thecork blocks in a certain position on the machine, while the operationsof transporting said blocks to the cutting-tool, the accurate adjustmentof them in front of said cuttingtool, and the rotating of them, wherebythey are given their cylindrical form, are her formed by the automaticmovements of the machine.

The machine comprises four groups or series of mechanismname]y, acutting-tool, an apparatus for imparting a rotary motion to the corkblocks, an apparatus for catching the cork blocks and conveying them tothe knife and the rotating mechanism, and'an apparatus for taking thecork blocks from the spot where they are deposited by the operator andcarrying them to the proper position.

The im'ention will be understood on reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 represents a plan view of a machineconstructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectiontaken in the line 0: a: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken inthe line y y of Fig. 1.

In Figs. 2 and 3 some of the parts are omitted or only shown in outline,so as not to interfere with the clearness of the drawings.

The cutting-tool consists of a circular knife, K, carried by one end ofthe main shaft A, which may be rotated by hand or by anysuitable motivepower. From this shaft A the motion is transferred by abelt and pulleysto the shaft B, which is journaled on the top of the frame 0 of themachine. From the shaft B the several periodical movements are impartedby means of gearing and cam-wheels or the like to the different portionsof the machine.

The transporting apparatus on which the cork blocks are placed isdesignated by the letter G. It consists of a ring, 1, of L-shapedcross-section, fitted in a guide, 2, mounted on the frame (1, Figs. 1and 2. Said movable ring 1 is provided on the upper surface with pins 3,placed at such distancesapart as to admit a cork block between two ofthem. The

' periphery of the ring or wheel 1 is provided with a number of notchescorresponding with the number of pins, and has an intermittent rotarymotion imparted to it by means of a spring-pawl, 1, carried by one endof a lever, 5, which is pivoted at 6 and has its other end bearingagainst a cam-wheel, 7, on the shaft B, said lever being held in contactwith the cam wheel by a spring arranged in any suitable manner. Vhen thecam-surface of the wheel 7 forces the short end of the lever outward,the pawl 4., carried by the other end, rotates the transporting-wheel adistance equal to the distance between two of the notches. The pawl athas its pivot 8 arranged in a slot, 9, in the end of the lever 5, andmay be adjusted in either direction by means of the set-screws 10.

To the inner and outer surfaces of the guide 2 are attached twoguard-plates, 11 and 12, which extend from the point where the corkblocks are placed on the wheel to the point where they are pushed intothe catching apparatus or carrier-wheel H.

The cork blocks are pushed from the transporting-wheel into thecatching-wheel H by means of a plate, 13, attached to one end of arod,14:. The front end of this rod has a bearing in a guide, 15, and itsother end is c011- nected to an arm or lever 16,by being passed througha sleeve or head, 17, pivoted at the upper end of said lever and held inplace by means of two nuts which serve as adj ustingnuts, so that theplate 13 may be adjusted at a greater or less distance from thecatchingwheel H. A spring, 18, surrounds the rod, with its ends bearingagainst the guide 15 and one of the nuts, respectively, and thus holdsthe plate 13 in proper position.

The movement of the plate 13 toward the catching-wheel is imparted by arock-shaft, 21, whichhas at one end an arm, 20, bearing against acam-wheel, 19, on the shaft B, the lever 16 being attached to the otherend of said rock-shaft 21. lYhen the cam on. the cam-wheel strikes thearm 20, the movement is imparted to the rod 14.

During the movement of the plate 13 the cork blocks are held againstsaid plate by means of a flat spring, 22, the detailed arrangement ofwhich is hereinafter more particularly described.

The catching-wheel or carrier-wheel II is composed of two disks orwheels, 26 and 27 mounted on the same shaft, 25. The disk 26 containsthe mechanism by means of which the cork blocks are caught, securelyheld, and carried up to the cutter, and the other disk, 27, contains aset of short spindles with flanges, against which the cork blocks arepressed by the disk 26, and which spindles, with chucks, are rotated bymeans of the turning apparatus F, arranged at the side of the wheel 27,which is periodically connected with the said spindles, so that the corkblocks are rotated in front of the cutter or knife K.

The disk 26 is provided with a series of holes near its periphery andparallel with the axis of rotation, and in each of these holes, whichare drilled with an offset,is fitted from the inner side of the disk ashort spindle, 28, with a flange, 20, provided with spurs, serving as aprong-chuck, and from the other side of the disk are insertedspring-boxes 3 The said spindles 28 are connected to the spring boxes bymeans of studs 31, screwed into the inner end of the spindles, and theheads of which are pressed toward the bottom of the spring-boxes bymeans of springs 32. As the spring-boxes are prevented from moving tothe right, the spindles and chucks will have a tendency to move to theleft. From the outside of the spring-boxes extend pins 33 through slots34 in the periphery of the wheel 26, by means of which the boxes may bemoved in their axial direction.

On the out-side end surface of the disk 26 are arranged arms 35, one foreach sprii'lgbox, pivoted at one end, :30, with the other end longenough to reach in front of the holes in which the spring-boxes areinserted. The arms are held in place and guided by keepers 37, Figs. 1and 2'.

Co-operating with the s]' ring-boxes and stopper-arms above mentionedare the lovers 38 and 235'), Fig. 2, carried by a shaft, 40, the lever38 being about midway of the length of the shaft and the lever 39 at oneend. The other end of the shaft 4-0 is provided with an arm, 41., towhich is connecteda rod, =12, Figs. 1 and 3, actuated from the cam-wheel43 on the shaft 13. The rod works in a guide, 44, and has an uprightbend, (4.5, behind the camwheel, against which it is pressed by aspring, e5 The object of these devices is to catch and release the cork.blocks at the proper times. As will be seen in Fig. 2, the upper ends ofthe levers 38 and 39 terminate in front of two of thesprii1g-boxes-namely, the one belonging to the spindle, that catches thecork blocks, and the one next below, where the corks are turned. lVhenthe levers move inward to the disk, they strike the ends of thespring-boxes and drive them inwardly. The result of this will be, as faras regards the arm 38, that the spring 32 will act upon the stud 31,pressing the spindle with the chuck into the cork block (just at thatmomentheld by the spring 22 and the plate 13) between the two disks, andinstantaneously the stopper-arm will drop down and lock the springboxinto the hole, so that it cannot again issue therefrom before the corkhas been cut. It will then be released by the arm 39, which will pressthe spring-box at the time in front of the arm slightly inward. The arm35, which was held by friction, will then drop down and allow the box toproject out through the hole, thereby releasing the spring 32, and withit the spindle 2S and the cork. The cork is prevented from adhering tothe spurs of the chucks by means of pin 33, working in the slot 3%.\Vhen the wheel moves the next step, this pin will. strike a wedge, 33,placed underneath the disk, and be forced with the box and the spindleto the right, so that the flange 29 will. come close to the side of thedisk and the cork may drop down through a hole in the frame into asuit-able receptacle. To further insure that no cork shall adhere to thechucks, a rod, 33", Fig. 2,is connected to the same lever, 16, thatpushes the blocks into the catching-wheel. 1V hen the said lever movesagainst the wheel, the rod 33" will also follow, and in case a corkshould be hanging in the wheel push it down.

The disk 27 which is mounted on the same shaft with the disk 26, andaccordingly moves together with it, has near its periphery in line withthe spindles in disk 26 a series of short. spindles, 46, provided on theinn er side with prong-chucks and on the outside with coupling-clutches-l7, with which the couplingclutehes on the turningapparatus Fperiodically engage.

lVhen a cork block has been pushed between the two disks 20 and. 27, themachine is so timed that the lever 38 will press the spindle 28 into thecork, which will then be held between the two prong-chucks.

The object of the spring 22 is to accurately center the block betweenthe chucks. The plate 13 being adjusted by the adj ustingnuts, the saidspring will hold the blocks tightly up to the plate and keep them thereuntil they are caught by the chucks. To release the spring, so that itshall not, when the block is taken upward by the wheel, snap outwardly,it is attached to one end of a pin, 23, boxed on the frame 0, which pinhas 011 its other end an arm extending upward on the outside of the disk27, where it rests against the coupling-clutches 417 of the spindles. Atthe moment the wheel moves a step forward the cou jiling-clutch willpass the end of the said arm and the spring will be released until thenext clutch touches the arm.

The movement of the catching or carrier wheel H, which is periodical,and with such a long stop between each step that a cork may be turnedand cut during this standstill, is imparted to it through the pivotedpawl 48, engaging with notches in the disk 26, the number of notchesbeing the same as the number of spindles. The pawl l8 pivoted to theupper end of a rod, 40, working vertically in a guide, 50, on the frame(1. This rod is suspended in a hanger, 51, (the length of which may beadjusted by mea-nsof a right and left nut, as indicated in the drawings)on one end of a lever, 52, the other end of which bears against acam-wheel, 53, on the shaft B,said lever imparting a vertical motion tothe aforesaid pawl 48, in order to partially rotate the wheel lI, afterwhich the lever falls of its own weight.

From the foregoing description it will easily be understood how the corkblocks one after another will be pushed into the (anu'ier-wheel H, takenup by this wheel, and carried forward till they reach the front of thecuttingtool or rotary knife K. Having reached to this position, theyhave to be rotated, so that the cutting-edge may give them theircylindrical form. This is performed by means of the turning apparatus1*. This turning apparatus consists of a spindle, 54. resting in astand, 55, on the frame, and on which is mounted a tooth-wheel, 50, withan, extended hub. The spindle axially movable in this hub, but mustfollow the tooth-wheel in its rotation, (a projection from thetooth-wheel working into an axial groove in the spindle, or vice versa.)The tooth-wheel is worked from the shaft 1 through the gears l) and E.The extemled hub rests on both sides in bearings in a stand on theframe, and the tooth-wheel is thereby prevented from following thespindle in its longitudinal movement. The spindle will, according tothis, constantly revolve, while the longitinlinal movement is impartedto it periodically from the shaft 13 by means of a cam-wheel, 5S, actingon a lever, 59, pivoted on the frame, bearing near its mid-lengthagainst the cam-wheel and at its top provided with a fork that works ina groove orbetween two collars, 130, on the end of the spindle. By thesemeans the spindle is moved oi'itwardly from the carrier-wheel toward theleft hand side of the drawing, while it is held against the same bymeans of a spiral spring, ol,surrounding the spindle between theiflOEtl'illf 57 and a collar, (33, on the spindle. Themachine is sotimed that when a cork has come in front of the knife the cam on theearn-wheel 58 will turn off from the lever 50, and accordingly thespiinlle will be taken inwardly by the spring (El, and the(:(mpling-clutch 03, mounted on the end of the spindle, will engage thecoupling-clutch nL7 on the spindle in wheel 27, by which the cork blockto be cut is held. As soon as the cork has been cut, (namely, rotatedonce,) the cam 58 will again take the spindle outwardly and thecoupling-clutches will be disengaged, after which the carrier-wheelmoves another step forward and the operation is repeated.

The machine has a circular knife, K, mounted on the main shaft A, therotation of which knife greatly increases the effect of the cutting andfacilitat s the work of the ma chine. To further facilitate the cutting,the knife is made so thin that it is necessary to mount it on a disk,(35.

To enable the machine to out different sizes of corks, the knife is mademovable in the direction of its a This of course may be arranged in difent ways. As shown in the drawings,the main axle A is jo'urnaled inbearings or boxes carried by straps underneath the frame. One of thesestraps thc front one, (hi-is arrangtnl so that it may swing on one ofilsbolts, of), while the other bolt, U7, lligs. 1 and 5' is insm'ted in aslot, (58, in the frame. When the strap (36 is swung either way, theshaft will be moved axially and the knife will be moved a greater orless distance from the center of the turning spin die. The boxes Tl areheld to the straps by means of pins, so that they may swing laterally.That the knife also may be adjusted vertically, the forward strap is onone side provided with a set-screw, 70, by means of which and the bolt 7the strap maybe raised or lowered.

In orderto keep the edge of the knife sharp, grinding-rollers may beattached to the frame, touching the sides of the knife, and therebygrinding the edge while rotating.

'What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, s

1. In an automatic cork-maehine, the combination, with a turningapparatus, 11, consisting of an axially-movablespindle, 5-l,constantlyrotated by suitable gearing, of a carrier-wheel, ll, consisting,essentially, of two disks, between which the cork blocks are held, andone of which disks, 27, is provided with a number of spindles providedon. one side with a ],n.*ong-chuck and on the other with acoupling-clutch, said turning spindle be ing also provided with acoupling-clutch, which coupling clutches are engaged with each other atintervals by means of the axial movement of the turning spindle, andsaid disk being mounted on an axle having an intermittent rotary motionat intervals corresponding with the number of spindles in the disk,substantially as herein described,

' In an automaticcorkanaehine, a carrierwheel, ll, composed of two disksmounted on the same shaft, one of said disks, .47, having a number ofspindles at equal distances from each other near the periphery of thedisk, the axes of which spindles are parallel to the axis of the disks,said spindles running through the disk, and having on the inside aprongchuek and on the outside a coupling-clutch, and the other disk, 20,having also near its periphery, opposite to the aforesaid spindles, acorresponding number of spindles with prong-chucks, in combination withspringboxes inserted from the outer side of said disk, a spring in saidspring-boxes acting upon the end of the spindles, and the springboxesbeing at intervals pushed to their inmost position and held there bymeans of stopperarms 35 on the outside of the disk, being allowed atintervals to issue from the holes in which they are fitted, and therebyreleasing the spring, said intervals beingfixed by the movements of twoarms, 38 an d 39, periodically touching the ends of the spring-boxes,and both disks having at intervals an intermittent rotary movementimparted in one direction, according to the number of spindles at theperiphery, substantially as herein described.

3. In combination with the carrier-wheel of an automatic cork-machine,as specified in claim 2, the pin 33 on the spring-box 30,working in aslot, 34:, in the periphery of the disk 26, in combination with anangle-piece, 33*, acting as a wedge against the pin 33 under therevolution of the carrier-wheel, substantially as herein described.

4. In an automatic cork-cutting machine provided with a carrier-wheel,H, composed of two disks mounted on the same shaft, one of said diskshaving a number of spindles provided with prong-chucks andcouplingclutches and the other disk having a corresponding number ofspindles with prongchucks acting in connection with spring-boxes, thecombination, with said carrier-wheel, ofa transporting-wheel, G, anddevices connected therewith for pushing the cork blocks into thecarrier-wheel, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twoWitnesses.

I-IAKON SIGVART LARSEN.

Witnesses:

L. DAAL, ALFRED J. BRYN.

